Women's Weekend in Birchwood

Friday morning I got up early. Getting up early has recently become a rareity for me, and there are few things that will get me out of bed at 7 a.m. However, a weekend devoted to just the ladies in Birchwood, Wisconsin is one of those things.

Please forgive me if I get the facts wrong, as I'm no expert on this, since this was the first year I was given the honor and privilege of joining the amazing group of women at the Big Bear Lodge, but I believe the tradition of the women's weekend began over 20 years ago, when Deb Dresel and a few of her closest friends and family decided they needed a weekend away from the kids and husbands. Wild times ensued back in those days and have continued to ensue, and over the years the group has grown from roughly a handful to as many as 15. Now the kids are coming along for the weekend, and some of them have kids themselves.

This year 11 ladies attended, two newbies including myself and Debbie Woodford. When I arrived at roughly 12:30 p.m. (it takes about 4 and 1/2 hours to get to "Yarnell" from Madison) four women had begun the weekend: Deb, her daughter Sarah (my best friend and maid-of-honor in my September wedding) her sister Beth and Debbie Woodford.

Now I've known Sarah since the third grade, which means we've been friends for about 20 years. The Dresel family is bascially like a second family to me. So when I entered the cabin I received all the hugs and warm welcomes that I was expecting. And when I say warm, I'm referring not only to the hugs, I'm talking also about the raging fire in the fireplace. "Ah yes," I thought. "It's finally time to relax."

When I get together with this group of people, we don't really need much other than each other to be entertained. We talked as Deb knitted a scarf she would later give away to one of the ladies, and we waited for the rest of the group to arrive. We listened to music and I listened to them sing. We had hit up the wine by 3 p.m.

Deb's sister Tami arrived next with her sister-in-law Jane. Many years ago I got to know Tami and her husband Larry pretty well when I traveled with the Dresel family to the Dominican Republic, so this was a happy reunion. Unfortunately Tami's daughter Crystal couldn't make it up this year because her son bumped his head and ended up in the emergency room.

Next to arrive were the twins: Lori & Lynn. I didn't catch exactly how these two know everyone, but they were very obviously long-time friends of the Dresel family. With them came a barrage of jokes and lots of snacks. When a group of women get together that have known each other this long, they don't hold anything back. They aren't afraid to be brutally honest and crack jokes about one another, because they know that no matter what, they've been through it all and they love each other.

Finally, just before dinner the final piece of the group arrived: Ann Crogg and her daughter Charlene. Normally, Ann's other daughter Darla attends, but she couldn't make it this year either unfortunately.

Once they got settled and after getting dressed, or should I say, after I dressed Sarah and Beth, we headed off to dinner, Sarah and Beth clad in my clothes and jewelry :)

Let me back up a second here. When a group of 11 women go out in the tiny town of Birchwood, they attract a certain amount of...attention. This is not a quiet group. Nor is this a group of homely looking individuals. These are confident, loud, boistrous beautiful women out for a good time. They'll stop at nothing to outdo the stories of the year before, and the snowmobilers and locals flat out CAN NOT believe it. It's like nothing they've ever seen. When they go places, they run into people who have known them from previous years. They have groupies. They're legends of the northwoods.

I cannot remember for the life of me the name of the supper club we went to, but I could just tell walking in that there was either a baked potato or hash browns in my future. We had a drink and sat down to eat.

Mark, our excellent waiter, served us up our food flawlessly and humored us as the ladies regalled stories of previous years. Stories of skiing, drunkenness and folly roared from one end of the table to the other as all the women enjoyed each other and looked forward to the trouble they were about to get into.

From there we hit up the Bluegill Bar and Liquor Store. Yeah, yeah! In the land known most famously for its bluegills, it only seems right that there was a bar so appropriately named. Drinks and shots immediately were served up, and the ladies got ready to play some pool and dance! Beth and Charlene and I commanded the jukebox, playing today's pop hits to the displeasure of the locals.

One particular blond-haired beauty from Birchwood got up and jazzed us for playing "our type of music" but danced with us and instantly became friends with Jane, who out of everyone in the group, seemed the most social with the locals. Somebody has got to break out from the group and make friends!

From there we headed to the Sportmen's Lodge, which was a tiny hole-in-the-wall trailer turned bar that was full of just that: sportsmen. In fact, at one point during the evening, a man walked through the door to show off the trophy fish he just caught out on the frozen lake. Only in Wisconsin ladies and gentlemen...

As the ladies got more and more relaxed, and more and more drunk, more dancing took place, including a pool stick limbo and one Beth Dresel falling to the floor. But, she bounced right back up, even in her 3-inch heels.

Meanwhile, Sarah was chatting up one of the locals, who we'll call Jim-Bob. Jim-Bob was a squirrel farmer with a degree in engineering and medicine, who studied at Eau Claire, Madison and the Caribbean. Um....I'm sorry, what? Suck it up buddy and tell us where you're really from and what you do.

Of course he wasn't the first gentleman to hit on one of us. One particular drunk snowmobiler told me I was hot and asked Sarah if he'd like to go back to his "remodel job" with him. She couldn't really understand what he was saying though, and soon, in his drunken stupor, he got up from his bar stool and got on his snowmobile. Again, only in Wisconsin. Hopefully me made it back to his remodel job safely. Yikes.

Eventually it was basically bar close and time to turn in.

Probably the best part of the weekend was waking up. I slept cozily on the bottom bunk of a set of bunk beds built by the Dresel men instead of purchased from some furniture store. As I awoke to the smell of coffee and succulent cinnamon french toast, the voices of the ladies and the laughter in the other room reminded me how special this weekend was, and how lucky these women are to have each other and all the memories they've shared throughout their lives.

Finally I rolled out of bed, immediately met by Sarah who held my camera in her hand and just couldn't resist getting an early-morning shot. Thanks Sarah.

Saturday was a day of sitting and visiting, playing board games, doing nothing, going into "town", taking walks and knitting. Most everyone stayed in, with the exception of a few that wandered out. The TV barely got turned on, and Beth's music rang happily through the air.

And when dinner time came, the Dresel's put on a feast meant for a royal court. Everything at the Big Bear Lodge is a team effort. If one group cooks, the other cleans. They split up the meals and the cleaning. They do the work and still let each other relax.

We had a mexican-themed dinner of mexican tostada salad and fajitas. Mexican music filled the air and you had to earn your spot at the table by doing your best mexican dance in front of the group. Again, no one is shy in this group.

The thing that's great about this group is that they all have their faith and spiritual strength in common. Deb perfomed a toast before dinner and Lori said a prayer. None of them forget to thank God for all they're blessed with in their lives. When Sarah asked each member of the group to share what the best part of 2009 was for them, it was then that you realized all that this group had accomplished and all they were capable of. Around that table sat 11 women, with stories of buying houses, having grandbabies, passing classes, getting engaged and getting through the tough times.

After dinner, the family separated into two groups and got into many serious conversations. They aren't afraid to talk about the bad things in life or ask the hard questions. They offer guidance, love and advice to each other and they celebrate with one another. And that's what it's really all about.

And the next morning as everyone cleaned up and packed up, you could see the sadness in the ladies' eyes as they knew another year was over and they said goodbye to one another.

Next year when the ladies get together, they'll have more to cry about, more to celebrate and more stories to reminisce about. We sure are lucky, ladies, to know each other.

So what do you say, women of the Big Bear Lodge? Am I allowed to come back next year or am I voted off the island?

P.S. Check out the Examiner.com article I also wrote about Birchwood. And, if you want to hear more about Tourism in Wisconsin, subscribe to my page! Here's the link: http://www.examiner.com/x-36699-Madison-Tourism-Examiner~y2010m2d8-Birchwood-Wisconsins-best-kept-secret